CSA: Connors Farm

CSA (community supported agriculture) is a program designed to help farms sell their crops in advance to ensure the viability of their operation. This program benefits the farmer, the supporter and the general public. The program enables the farmer to receive enough money up front in order to help finance their farming operations. It also helps the farmer market his/her crops and help eliminate any uncertainties. It benefits the supporter by ensuring that they will receive in most cases a better value for their money that they fronted. Also, the supporter is guaranteed the freshest, safest and best tasting produce available anywhere. Finally, it benefits the general public by protecting the existence of local farms. By supporting local agriculture, you are keeping the local farms viable, which means that you helping to preserve green space.

We will be offering 200 shares for the 2013 season (first come, first served). Our CSA program will run for 18 weeks from June 14th through October 12th. Members will have the choice of picking their produce up either Friday afternoons or Saturday mornings. The produce that members will receive should have an estimated value of $30 per week (this can vary from week to week depending on the weather). As a bonus, members will receive two complimentary corn maze passes for our 6 acre corn maze which opens in September. Members will also have the opportunity to cut a complimentary bouquet of flowers each week from our field starting in mid July.

All of the fruits and vegetables that are grown on our farm are IPM (Integrated Pest Management). We have practiced IPM on our farm for over a decade and consider it to be the safest method of producing crops. We also were one of the first farms in the state to sign up with the "Partners With Nature" program. IPM ensures the consumer safe produce while also protecting the environment. Our IPM consultant carefully monitors pest activity in our various crops by using pheromone and sticky traps to determine exactly when to spray. When our consultant determines that the insect levels are above a certain threshold, we will then spray, using only the safest materials available. Our consultant also monitors disease and nutrient levels by using soil tests and tissue culture analysis. As a result of this practice, we are not over fertilizing our crops, thus minimizing the potential risk of polluting ground water.

What do we grow? This year, we have a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to offer our members. Please know that we try to choose the varieties that have the best possible flavor. We have raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, peaches (yellow), peaches (white), apples, lettuce, swiss chard, herbs (all types), sweet corn, beefsteak tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, plum tomatoes, peppers (all types), eggplant (all types), yellow squash, zucchini, winter squashes (all types), beets, carrots, onions, scallions, potatoes, radishes, patty pan squash, pumpkins (all types), popcorn, spinach, melons (all types), peas, beans, pole beans, leeks, cabbage, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumbers, pickling cucumbers, and celery.

For more information or to sign up for a 2013 share, visit us at:
http://http://www.connorsfarm.com/12csa.htm